Department for Transport

Railways: Standards

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of privatised rail services in the past year; and whether they intend to review the case for returning those services to the public sector.

baroness sugg: The benefits of franchising to passengers and taxpayers are clear. Passenger numbers have doubled since privatisation. The private sector have invested billions in new trains and improved services whilst Government subsidy to the industry has reduced by over £2bn over ten years. We always assess franchising decisions against the best interests of passengers and taxpayers.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for renewals and large-scale maintenance projects on existing rail lines between cities that will eventually be served by HS2; and what is the timescale for those works.

baroness sugg: The Government has recently announced an expected Rail expenditure of around £47.9bn for Network Rail in England and Wales over the new Control Period from 2019 to 2024. This includes funding to support a significant increase in renewals activity across the network compared with the current Control Period and increases maintenance spending to deliver a more reliable railway. Network Rail are currently developing their proposals for the delivery of renewals and maintenance projects between 2019 and 2024. These proposals will then be subject to the scrutiny of the independent Office of Rail and Road which will establish final outputs and deliverables by the Autumn of 2018. Regarding HS2 specifically, the Department is working with Network Rail and HS2 Ltd to optimise upcoming works, and for example are reviewing how the planned renewals and HS2 work at Crewe will deliver the best service for all passengers on the rail network.

Taxis: Regulation

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to update regulations for taxis and private hire vehicles.

baroness sugg: At the request of the Department for Transport, the Law Commission undertook a comprehensive review of taxi and private hire regulation in England and Wales. Since this report the sector has undergone profound and rapid change. At a Westminster Hall Debate on 5 July, my Rt Hon Friend, the Minister of State for Transport (John Hayes MP) announced the formation of a working group which is considering regulatory issues and remedies, including the Commission’s recommendations. The group will report in the New Year.

Taxis: Regulation

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthe committee established by the Department for Transport to examine regulations for taxis and private hire vehicles has concluded its work; and who the members of that committee are.

baroness sugg: The Task and Finish Group on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing was set up by my Rt Hon Friend the Minister of State for Transport (John Hayes MP) to consider regulatory issues in the sector, and produce focussed recommendations for action. The group met for the first time in September and will report its findings to the Minister in the New Year. The members of the group are: Chairman: Professor Mohammed Abdel-HaqHelen Chapman, General Manager, TfL Taxi and Private HireRt Hon Frank Field MP (Birkenhead)Saskia Garner, Policy Officer, Suzy Lamplugh TrustEllie Greenwood, Senior Adviser (Regulation), Local Government AssociationMichael Grenfell, Executive Director of Enforcement, Competition and Markets AuthoritySteve McNamara, General Secretary, Licensed Taxi Drivers AssociationAnne Main MP (St Albans)Mick Rix, National Officer, GMBDonna Short, Director, National Private Hire and Taxi Association

Taxis: Licensing

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers a local authority hasto limit the total number of private hire vehicles and taxis licensed to operate in its area.

baroness sugg: Licensing authorities in England and Wales, outside London, may restrict the number of taxi (hackney carriage) vehicle licences they issue in order to limit numbers, providing there is no significant unmet demand for hackney carriage services in their area. There is no equivalent power for taxis in London, or for private hire vehicles. The Department for Transport’s Task and Finish Group on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing is considering the regulation of the trade as one of its key areas for discussion and will report its findings to the Minister in the New Year.

Aviation: Egypt

lord stone of blackheath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 7 November (HL2559), when they last carried out an assessment of Sharm el Sheikh airport; and whether that assessment involved UK officials visiting that airport.

baroness sugg: Further to my response on 7 November (HL2559), Department for Transport officials have regularly visited Sharm el Sheikh airport. However, it is long-standing government policy not to publish the detail of aviation security assessments, including the dates of those assessments, for any location for reasons of both security and protecting international relations.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Work Experience: Minimum Wage

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many successfulprosecutions were made against employers for failing to pay the National Minimum Wage for internshiproles in each year since 2010; and what were the details of those prosecutions.

lord henley: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 10 November 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Details of the employers prosecuted for National Minimum Wage offences up to the end of 2016/17 are included in Table 1 below and are also published in Annex C of the 2017 Government Evidence to the Low Pay Commission on compliance and enforcement. HMRC does not have any records of prosecutions in relation to interns. Table 1: NMW Prosecutions, 2007/08 to 2016/17 Name of employerTrading NameAreaOffenceDate1T AgudaRascals Day Nursery LtdWalthamstow31 (5) (a)28/08/20072Torbay Council Torquay31 (5) (b)01/10/20073R SinghPound ManiaNottingham31 (5) (b)30/04/20084David JacksonJackson’s ButchersSheffield31 (1); 31 (2); 31 (3); 31 (4).02/07/20085Pauline SmoutJackson’s ButchersSheffield31 (1); 31 (2); 31 (3); 31 (4)02/07/20086Zaheer IbrahimThe Jewel in the CrownNottingham31 (5) (b)21/07/20087Ahmed YassineThe Pheonix HotelRotherham31 (2); 31 (5) (b)13/02/20098B G Optical Manchester31(1); 31(2); 31(3); 31(4); 31(5)(a); 31(5)(b)23/06/20109Widescope Security London31(1); 31(5)(b)26/02/201310Amanda BarrettAmanda’s Precious Bubbles Day Nursery LtdBirmingham31(1); 31(2)11/05/201611Richard HuntThe Rock Hotel (Weymouth) LtdWeymouth31(5)(a); 31(5)(b)13/05/201612L.UK/Euro (Brighton) Ltd3D TeleconOldham31(1); 31(5)(a)04/08/201613Dida Brothers Car Wash Southampton31(1); 31(2)08/12/2016 Name of employerTrading NameAreaOffenceDate1T AgudaRascals Day Nursery LtdWalthamstow31 (5) (a)28/08/20072Torbay Council Torquay31 (5) (b)01/10/20073R SinghPound ManiaNottingham31 (5) (b)30/04/20084David JacksonJackson’s ButchersSheffield31 (1); 31 (2); 31 (3); 31 (4).02/07/20085Pauline SmoutJackson’s ButchersSheffield31 (1); 31 (2); 31 (3); 31 (4)02/07/20086Zaheer IbrahimThe Jewel in the CrownNottingham31 (5) (b)21/07/20087Ahmed YassineThe Pheonix HotelRotherham31 (2); 31 (5) (b)13/02/20098B G Optical Manchester31(1); 31(2); 31(3); 31(4); 31(5)(a); 31(5)(b)23/06/20109Widescope Security London31(1); 31(5)(b)26/02/201310Amanda BarrettAmanda’s Precious Bubbles Day Nursery LtdBirmingham31(1); 31(2)11/05/201611Richard HuntThe Rock Hotel (Weymouth) LtdWeymouth31(5)(a); 31(5)(b)13/05/201612L.UK/Euro (Brighton) Ltd3D TeleconOldham31(1); 31(5)(a)04/08/201613Dida Brothers Car Wash Southampton31(1); 31(2)08/12/2016Source: BEIS/HMRC enforcement data



Evidence and analysis to the Low Pay Commission
(PDF Document, 1.23 MB)

lord henley: Details of the employers prosecuted for National Minimum Wage offences up to the end of 2016/17 are included in Table 1 below and are also published in Annex C of the 2017 Government Evidence to the Low Pay Commission on compliance and enforcement. HMRC does not have any records of prosecutions in relation to interns. Table 1: NMW Prosecutions, 2007/08 to 2016/17 Name of employerTrading NameAreaOffenceDate1T AgudaRascals Day Nursery LtdWalthamstow31 (5) (a)28/08/20072Torbay Council Torquay31 (5) (b)01/10/20073R SinghPound ManiaNottingham31 (5) (b)30/04/20084David JacksonJackson’s ButchersSheffield31 (1); 31 (2); 31 (3); 31 (4).02/07/20085Pauline SmoutJackson’s ButchersSheffield31 (1); 31 (2); 31 (3); 31 (4)02/07/20086Zaheer IbrahimThe Jewel in the CrownNottingham31 (5) (b)21/07/20087Ahmed YassineThe Pheonix HotelRotherham31 (2); 31 (5) (b)13/02/20098B G Optical Manchester31(1); 31(2); 31(3); 31(4); 31(5)(a); 31(5)(b)23/06/20109Widescope Security London31(1); 31(5)(b)26/02/201310Amanda BarrettAmanda’s Precious Bubbles Day Nursery LtdBirmingham31(1); 31(2)11/05/201611Richard HuntThe Rock Hotel (Weymouth) LtdWeymouth31(5)(a); 31(5)(b)13/05/201612L.UK/Euro (Brighton) Ltd3D TeleconOldham31(1); 31(5)(a)04/08/201613Dida Brothers Car Wash Southampton31(1); 31(2)08/12/2016 Name of employerTrading NameAreaOffenceDate1T AgudaRascals Day Nursery LtdWalthamstow31 (5) (a)28/08/20072Torbay Council Torquay31 (5) (b)01/10/20073R SinghPound ManiaNottingham31 (5) (b)30/04/20084David JacksonJackson’s ButchersSheffield31 (1); 31 (2); 31 (3); 31 (4).02/07/20085Pauline SmoutJackson’s ButchersSheffield31 (1); 31 (2); 31 (3); 31 (4)02/07/20086Zaheer IbrahimThe Jewel in the CrownNottingham31 (5) (b)21/07/20087Ahmed YassineThe Pheonix HotelRotherham31 (2); 31 (5) (b)13/02/20098B G Optical Manchester31(1); 31(2); 31(3); 31(4); 31(5)(a); 31(5)(b)23/06/20109Widescope Security London31(1); 31(5)(b)26/02/201310Amanda BarrettAmanda’s Precious Bubbles Day Nursery LtdBirmingham31(1); 31(2)11/05/201611Richard HuntThe Rock Hotel (Weymouth) LtdWeymouth31(5)(a); 31(5)(b)13/05/201612L.UK/Euro (Brighton) Ltd3D TeleconOldham31(1); 31(5)(a)04/08/201613Dida Brothers Car Wash Southampton31(1); 31(2)08/12/2016Source: BEIS/HMRC enforcement data



Evidence and analysis to the Low Pay Commission
(PDF Document, 1.23 MB)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nuclear Disarmament: Conferences

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will vote on the proposals currently before the UN General Assembly concerning the dates and mandate for the 2018 UN international high-level conference for nuclear disarmament; who will represent them at the conference; what will be their objectives for the conference; and whether they accept the Tbilisi Declaration about the conference calling on all OSCE states "to participate in the 2018 UN international conference on nuclear disarmament at the highest level".

lord ahmad of wimbledon: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 07 November 2017.The correct answer should have been:

We will vote against the draft resolution at the UN in December on the holding of a UN high level conference in May 2018 to review progress on nuclear disarmament. We do not believe that a Conference mandated by this resolution will lead to effective progress on nuclear disarmament. It will not address the serious threats to international peace and security posed by nuclear non proliferation nor will it take account of the international security environment. The Tbilisi Declaration was adopted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and not by the Government. If the Conference is held, we will consider our approach closer to the time.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We will vote against the draft resolution at the UN in December on the holding of a UN high level conference in May 2018 to review progress on nuclear disarmament. We do not believe that a Conference mandated by this resolution will lead to effective progress on nuclear disarmament. It will not address the serious threats to international peace and security posed by nuclear non proliferation nor will it take account of the international security environment. The Tbilisi Declaration was adopted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and not by the Government. If the Conference is held, we will consider our approach closer to the time.

Burma: Rohingya

lord hague of richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative experts have been deployed to Bangladesh in response to the atrocitiescommitted against the Rohingya people.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Head of ​the ​Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s PSVI Team recently visited Bangladesh, including Dhaka and Cox's Bazar, with the UN Secretary General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG)'s mission will meet survivors, service providers, government officials and security services. The FCO, working with the Stabilisation Unit, is deploying two Deployable Civilian Experts to Bangladesh this month to conduct a needs assessment. These experts in gender issues and criminal law, including sexual violence in conflict, will build on the SRSG and Head of PSVI's assessment to look at the extent of reported incidents of sexual violence, services being provided, identify gaps and make recommendations for the UK Government. Part of the assessment will be a deep dive on investigation and documentation of sexual violence.

Burma: Rohingya

lord hague of richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actionthey havetaken at the UN Security Council regarding the Rohingya people.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government played a central role in the Presidential Statement on Rakhine agreed by the UN Security Council (UNSC) ​​on 6 November. The Statement calls, among other things, for the safe return of the Rohingya refugees to Rakhine, a transparent investigation of human rights violations, including those of sexual violence, as well as cooperation of the Government of Burma with UN organisations and access for humanitarian and media organisations to Rakhine. The Statement also calls on the Government of Burma to address the root causes of the conflict, including through the implementation of the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations.​This comes as a result of several weeks of British Government activity at the UN Security Council. We have raised Burma four times since 25 August. On 13 September we secured the first agreed UNSC press statement on Burma in eight years. On 28 September we instigated the first open session of the Security Council on Burma in almost a decade. The Security Council then discussed Burma on 13 October. We will continue to work to ensure continuing P5 unity on the gravity of the situation in Burma.

Iraq: Community Relations

lord mcinnes of kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the government of Iraq to promote reconciliation within civil society in Iraq.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We recognise that reconciliation is critical to defeating Daesh and ensuring long-term stability within Iraq. At both official and ministerial levels we continue to promote action to ensure that those responsible for human rights abuses are held to account. Through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund we are supporting community-level reconciliation, reintegration and transitional justice efforts in liberated areas. The UK is also at the forefront of international efforts to bring Daesh to justice. On 21 September, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to adopt UK-proposed Daesh Accountability Resolution 2379, which requests the UN Secretary General to establish an Investigative Team to collect, preserve and store evidence of Daesh crimes, beginning in Iraq. The UK has pledged £1 million as a voluntary contribution to help establish the Investigative Team.

Attorney General

Hate Crime: Prosecutions

lord vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government under what authority the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has agreed a definition of racially and religiously aggravated crime that is wider than the legal definition under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and Criminal Justice Act 2003, as indicated in the CPS Public statement on prosecuting racist and religious hate crime published in August.

lord keen of elie: In order to charge and prosecute hate crimes, the CPS uses the legal definition provided by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and Criminal Justice Act 2003. The shared police and CPS definition of hate crime is based on the perception of the victim or any other person and allows for case flagging and monitoring as well as appropriate victim support, it does not affect the charge.This flagging definition comes from the recommended definition in the Macpherson report which was published in 1999 as a result of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The Macpherson Report found a lack of confidence within communities that hate crime was being treated seriously by the police and Criminal Justice System and recommended that the definition of a racist incident should be, ‘any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person’. Putting the victim’s perception at the heart of the definition gives a clear signal that, once flagged as a hate crime, an appropriate investigation will follow and evidence to support the law on hostility will be proactively sought. The definition seeks to encourage victims to report and to increase confidence in the Criminal Justice System.

Department for Education

Schools: Governing Bodies

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on whether school governors should be paid.

lord agnew of oulton: The Government strongly supports the principle that being a school governor should be a voluntary activity. There is currently a prohibition against payments to governors of maintained schools and payments can only be made to academy trustees in very limited circumstances and subject to approval by the Charity Commission.

Academies: Pay

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a cap on the amount of money that can be paid to the chief executive of a multi-academy trust.

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many current trustees of multi-academy trusts are paid; and whether there is a cap on the amount they can be paid.

lord agnew of oulton: It is essential that we have the best people to lead our schools if we are to raise standards. The responsibilities of school leaders have changed significantly in recent years, with many now running several academies in a multi-academy trust (MAT). Academy trusts are free to set their own salaries for staff and we would expect this to reflect the size and complexity of the trust, as they must deliver value for money. The 2017 Academies Financial Handbook, a copy of which I have placed in the House Library, emphasises that decisions about levels of executive pay must follow a robust evidence-based process and are reflective of the individual’s role and responsibilities. Trusts must disclose senior staff pay annually in their audited accounts. The academies’ sector annual report and accounts we have published means there is now more information available than ever about academy trusts’ finances. The Education and Skills Funding Agency follow up where non-compliance is identified. Disclosure must include: the number of employees earning more than £60k, set out in £10k bands; names of all trustees who received remuneration in each band, and the amounts they received. This will consist of the salaries of the principal in a single academy trust and the chief executive in a MAT, unless in the exceptional case they have chosen not to be a trustee. Payments by academy trusts to their trustees must be disclosed in the trust’s annual accounts. These are independently audited and published for transparency. The disclosures will comprise payments to those staff who are also trustees, paid in their capacity as staff not as trustees. In addition, Charity Commission approval would be required if an academy trust wished to pay an individual for acting as trustee.

Academies

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the difference between (1) a multi-academy trust with only one school, and (2) an academy.

lord agnew of oulton: A multi-academy trust (MAT) is an independent charitable company that is set up to run more than one academy. A MAT may be set up with one academy initially, with the intention of identifying other schools to join the trust later. An “academy” is a school or educational institution established under academy arrangements, as per the Academies Act 2010.

Free Schools

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost of establishing free schools in each of the last five years.

lord agnew of oulton: The total cost of establishing a Free School includes the capital cost of acquiring a suitable site and construction or refurbishment of that site and pre and post opening grants to the school. The Department’s total capital costs of establishing Free Schools in each of the last five financial years are:Financial yearTotal capital costs2012-13£275m2013-14£704m2014-15£761m2015-16£931m2016-17£965m On average, the construction costs of newly built free schools are 29% lower (per square metre) than schools built under Building Schools for the Future and similar to schools built under the Priority Schools Building Programme. The department has reduced costs by taking advantage of central economies of scale and standardised building specifications. We are in the process of making a routine update to the data that we hold on pre and post-opening grant allocations for Free Schools, University Technical Colleges and Studio Schools, following the opening of new schools in September. We will be publishing the latest data on the GOV.UK website in the coming weeks.

Academies

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government which academy trusts manage more than five schools; and how many schools are managed by each of those trusts.

lord agnew of oulton: As at 1 November 2017, there are 282 multi-academy trusts (MATs) that manage more than five schools.Please find attached the list of MATs with the number of academies managed by each trust.This information was sourced from the “Get Information About Schools” website on 1 November 2017. Further information can be found here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/  



MATs Managing More Than Five Schools
(Excel SpreadSheet, 30.94 KB)

Vocational Guidance and Work Experience: Young People

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of career advice and work experience services provided to young people by local authorities.

lord agnew of oulton: Local authorities do not have direct responsibility for providing careers advice and work experience to young people. Responsibility was devolved to schools in 2012, when they were given a legal duty to secure independent careers guidance for years 8-13 pupils. Statutory guidance underpins this duty and makes clear that schools should offer work placements, work experience and other employer-based activities as part of their careers programme. The Government has established The Careers & Enterprise Company to improve opportunities for young people to learn about the world of work. There are now 2,019 Enterprise Advisers appointed in the Company’s Enterprise Adviser Network, connecting with just under 2,000 schools and colleges to improve young people’s, careers and enterprise strategies and engagement with employers. Local councils continue to play an important role in supporting young people to participate in education or training. They ensure that 16 and 17 year olds have agreed post-16 plans and have received an offer of a suitable place in post-16 education or training under the ‘September Guarantee’, and that they are assisted to take up a place. Schools work closely with local councils to identify those at risk of not participating post-16. We will publish a careers strategy this year, with a clear focus on social mobility. We have worked with a number of external partners, including the Local Government Association, to examine best practice and develop proposals to improve the quality and coverage of careers guidance.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Mothers

baroness healy of primrose hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultations they have conducted in preparation for their strategy on female offenders to ensure that the criminal justice system creates an environment which promotes the reunification of imprisoned mothers with their children; and what assessment they have made of the impact, both short and long term, of such imprisonment on children living in care.

lord keen of elie: We are developing the Female Offender Strategy in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. We issued a Call for Evidence in March 2017 and regularly consult with key stakeholders through our Advisory Board on Female Offenders, which is chaired by the Minister with responsibility for female offenders. The Minister has met with a number of organisations to discuss a wide range of issues pertinent to female offenders, including the imprisonment of mothers and the impact on their children. The Department for Education has not made any formal assessment of the impact of parental imprisonment in children living in care, but the Government has funded a contract worth over £1.4m for Barnardo’s to operate the i-HOP service – an England wide one-stop information service for all professionals who come into contact with the children and families of offenders – to share evidence on practice and advise commissioners and practitioners on the options available to support the families of offenders.

Prisons: Libraries

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many, and what proportion of, prison service establishments have a library with facilities to use and exchange books.

lord keen of elie: All prisons in England and Wales have a library with the facility to use and exchange books. Prisons should be places of safety and reform, and it is vital we use the time in prison productively. Having basic English skills helps people get jobs on release and helps them lead law abiding lives, and I am determined to make sure that we achieve better outcomes for all prisoners.

Department for Work and Pensions

National Insurance Credits

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their most recent estimate of the number of women who are in part-time low-paid employment with more than one employer who fail to receive National Insurance credits as a result of each employment falling below the Lower Earnings Threshold.

baroness buscombe: DWP analysis suggests that at any one time around 50,000 people, 40,000 of whom are women, have multiple jobs with earnings in each job below the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) (£113 per week in 2017/18), although their combined earnings exceed that limit. The LEL is the threshold for treating contributions as having been paid for the purpose of determining contributory benefit entitlement. This analysis also estimates that of the women in this group, around 30 per cent are getting a childcare credit for their State Pension. Others in this group may be receiving credits through another route or be paying voluntary national insurance contributions.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Museums and Galleries: Copyright

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether National Museums will review their imaging policies in the light of recent calls to abolish image fees for out of copyright paintings, prints and drawings.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the charging of image fees for academic use by National Museums on their use in academic lectures and publications.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether National Museums will consider providing open access to images of publicly owned, out of copyright paintings, prints, and drawings so that they are free for the public to reproduce; and whether they have held discussions with non-UK museums about such access.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they sanction each National Museum's interpretation of image copyright law; and if not, what measures are in place to review whether National Museums are interpreting image copyright law correctly.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much income was raised by each National Museum by licensing images of out of copyright works in the last five years.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government how National Museums assess whether the image fees they charge for academic use are reasonable; and what representations they have made to academic communities to evaluate their fees.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government why National Museums charge fees to reproduce images of historic paintings, prints and drawings in their collections; whether they have received legal advice relating to the copyright issues applying to such reproductions; and if so, what that advice was.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of Commons Creative Licences by each National Museum; what proportion of those Licences permit amendments to be made to them; and whether they intend to review their use.

lord ashton of hyde: Decisions about image licensing and fees, and related copyright, are operational matters for the national museums as arm’s length bodies of government. As such, we do not hold data on the amount of income raised by image fees, on licences offered or the impact of fees on academic use. Details of the process for requesting permission to reproduce images can be found on the respective websites of the national museums. The policies of both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery for example, allow some print reproduction of images for scholarly purposes free of charge, and several national museums offer or may offer a discount where image reproduction is for an academic purpose. Others, such as the British Museum and Science Museum, allow images to be used by the public under a Creative Commons licence. Additionally, many national museums have demonstrated significant efforts towards digitising their collections and in doing so are making our national collections accessible to the nation in new ways. National museums are bound to provide free, in person, access to the permanent collections as a condition of government Grant-in-aid (GIA) funding and this policy has been a great success. Provided this condition is met, national museums are permitted and encouraged to pursue commercial activities, which may include image licensing. Such activities are an important supplement to museums in supporting their objectives to facilitate participation for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Public Libraries

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have given to local authorities concerning the maintenance of mobile library and information service vehicles inrural areas and outlying urban areas; and how those services are integrated with other relevant council and Government services.

lord ashton of hyde: In September 2014 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published a report “Rural library services in England: exploring recent changes and possible futures”. The report provided information to help local communities and authorities to better understand the issues, challenges and opportunities for rural areas arising from changes to library services and what can be done to deliver a comprehensive, efficient and sustainable library service in rural areas that meets local need.

Conservation Areas

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of Historic England's announcement thatit now lists 512 conservation areas inits Heritage at Risk Register.

lord ashton of hyde: The findings of the 2017 Heritage at Risk survey indicate that, since figures were first collated in 2010, the number of the 8000+ conservation areas in England considered to be ‘at risk’ has declined from 549 to 512. Historic England is looking to build on these improvements by working with local authorities and other partners to target grant aid through its Partnership Scheme in Conservation Areas programme, and by investing in ten Heritage Action Zones. The Heritage Lottery Fund is also continuing to invest in the enhancement of conservation areas through its Townscape Heritage grant scheme.

Gambling: Internet

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the practice of certain online gambling providers contacting infrequent users via email in order to advise them to return to the service or risk having their accounts frozen and winnings removed; and what assessment they have made of the likely effect of that practice on gambling addiction.

lord ashton of hyde: All licensed gambling operators providing gambling facilities to customers in Great Britain are required to ensure that the terms on which gambling is offered are fair and open. As part of a joint programme of work to tackle unfair terms and practices in the gambling industry, the Gambling Commission and the Competition and Markets Authority are investigating the obstacles people face when trying to withdraw their money after gaming or betting online, including ‘dormancy’ charges on players’ accounts after a period of inactivity, or terms which remove all funds from inactive accounts. It is a further licensing requirement that marketing should be socially responsible, and should not be sent to those who have self-excluded. A new online self-exclusion scheme called ‘Gamstop’ is due to be launched by spring of next year. The scheme will allow customers to self-exclude from all British licensed operators in a single step and will significantly strengthen the self-exclusion arrangements available for online gamblers.

Social Media: Children

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential effects of involving social media providers in educating children on the use of social media.

lord ashton of hyde: We believe that protecting children online is everyone's responsibility and that social media providers can positively contribute to our aim of making Britain the safest place in the world to be online. By incorporating online safety messages and highlighting safety tools within their platforms, social media providers can remind children about how to stay safe and help parents understand the best ways of protecting their children.As part of the work on the Digital Charter announced in the Queen's Speech, the Government is considering a range of options to counter internet harms. This includes an Internet Safety Strategy which will look at how we can support users so that everyone can access the benefits of the Internet safely. The Strategy, which was published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on 11 October, considers the responsibilities of companies to their users, the use of technical solutions to prevent online harms and government's role in supporting users. The Strategy also considers the role that technology companies can play in awareness and education for users, including children.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Sexual Offences

baroness hollins: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether any independent service is available to those working on the Lords part of the Parliamentary estate who wish to report a sexual assault.

baroness hollins: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what protocols and procedures with respect to harassment and bullying are available to those working on the Lords part of the Parliamentary estate, regardless of employment status or political party.

baroness hollins: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what support is available to those working on the Lords part of the Parliamentary estate who have reported sexual assault or sexual harassment.

lord mcfall of alcluith: All reports of sexual assault or sexual harassment should be dealt with appropriately and with the right support. The Leaders of the two Houses have set up a Working Group on an Independent Complaints and Grievance Policy to draw up and implement a new bicameral bullying and harassment procedure. Officials from the Lords Administration are working with their Commons counterparts to support that working group.Currently, there are a number of support services available to those who work on the Lords part of the Parliamentary Estate and who wish to report, or have reported, a sexual assault or sexual harassment. Members, Members’ staff and staff of the House have access to the Parliamentary Health and Wellbeing Service and the five Parliamentary Workplace Equality Networks. Members’ staff and House staff may also get independent support from Employee Assistance Programmes [Health Assured for Members’ staff and Workplace Options for House staff].For employees of the Administration, the Staff Handbook sets out the procedures for reporting harassment or bullying of any type and the support available to them. For Members and Members’ staff, reports of bullying and harassment are currently dealt with through the relevant Whips Offices or through the Convenor’s office.Members of the House of Lords are subject to a Code of Conduct which provides guidance on the standards of conduct expected of members in the discharge of their parliamentary duties and includes a requirement to act on their personal honour. An individual can make a complaint about the conduct of a Member to the independent Commissioner for Standards who would make a preliminary assessment of whether the allegation was linked to the discharge of parliamentary duties and, if so, whether it could constitute a breach of the Code. If the preliminary assessment concluded that these two tests had been met the Commissioner would investigate the allegation in accordance with the current procedures set out in the Code. The procedures and processes for investigating complaints made under the Code were not designed with complaints of this nature in mind and this is something the Commissioner would need to advise any potential complainant about, it is also something the Committee for Privileges and Conduct will need to consider. Anyone wishing to establish whether the particular behaviour of an individual member could amount to a breach of the Code should contact the Commissioner for further information.In addition, anyone working on the Lords part of the Estate has independent access to ACAS services and can report a sexual assault or sexual harassment to the Police.